CHICAGO (WLS) — A first-of-its-kind facility in the Hyde Park, Kenwood Area is helping families all thanks to a local doctor who wanted to give back to her neighborhood.
“This is a blessing for so many children and families and I’m so grateful to be able to do that,” Dr. Chrisna Perry, director of Comprehensive Learning Services, said.
Dr. Perry is on a meaningful mission on Chicago’s South Side to provide a life-changing, comprehensive resource once not available for countless families living in the area.
“So many families have been looking for this resource to be able to provide support for their kids and not have to go from place-to-place,” Dr. Perry said.
Dr. Perry, a learning specialist and educational psychologist with decades of experience under her belt, is the owner and director of Comprehensive Learning Services, or CLS, located in the city’s Kenwood neighborhood at 1301 East 47th Street.
CLS, which opened its doors here two years ago, provides a plethora of resources for hundreds of Chicago families – all in one place.
From speech and language therapy to occupational therapy to social skills sessions and so much more, Dr. Perry says a resource like this lifts a major weight often felt by parents and guardians.
“Because at the end of the day when kids are really struggling in school that’s stressful.” Dr. Perry said. “There’s not one location where children can be comprehensively supported on the city’s South Side.”
“I would say she’s really grown quite a bit over this year and CLS and the team here has been a big part of it,” parent Walter Scott said.
Walter Scott’s adorable 2.5-year-old daughter Selah has been in speech therapy for more than a year.
He says his daughter’s ability to communicate has grown by leaps and bounds thanks to CLS.
“Being able to just say I want ABC…or I want XYZ or being able to just clearly talk about whatever it is we are working on colors or letter sounds…her vocabulary has really progressed over the past year or so,” Scott said.
And with May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Dr. Perry wants to make sure families living on the South Side, the place where she herself was born and raised, feel uplifted and cherished.
“I want them to feel relieved that they know they can come to one location and receive academic, social, emotional and developmental support,” Dr. Perry said.
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